And theyre accepting that narrative that he had no choice, that he is innocent and this is all still some kind of farce.. Joaqun Garca was held on $50 million bail, Ocampo on $25 million, and Oaxaca remained free on bail. The KCAL News Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on KCALNews.com and CBSLA.com. [10] Federal criminal investigations are pending in both the United States and Mexico. However, the five complainants, addressed as Jane Does in the court, were unhappy with the minimal sentences their aggressors received. She said she does not think the plea deal will result in a total crisis for the institution.. Sochil Martin, a former La Luz del Mundo member who has filed a civil RICO suit against Garcaand LLDM alleging sexual abuse and other crimes, was highly critical of the plea deal, and compared the church to a mafia-type organization that would continue to operate despite Garcas imprisonment. Libor Jany covers the Los Angeles Police Department. When he was arrested, many of the faithful flocked to churches in the denominations hometown of Guadalajara, but also in Los Angeles and other cities. Garcia leads the Light of the World Church, an evangelical-based faith which claims to have five million members in dozens of countries around the world. Sept. 19, 2022 11:27 AM PT Naasn Joaqun Garca, head of the Mexico-based La Luz del Mundo megachurch, pleaded guilty in June to sexually abusing girls from his congregation and was sentenced to. Former members of the Church stressed that Garcas relatively short sentence as a result of a plea deal with prosecutors means the 53-year-old could be back at the pulpit in 8-10 years. Do you remember the night you finally stole my virginityand you smiled and told me it was a blessing from God? said another, who added: Do you remember when you wanted me to bring my little sister to you? "And for those family members that have abandoned you, shame! A trial date has been set for Naasn Joaqun Garca, the leader of the Mexico-based megachurch La Luz del Mundo who is facing a number of sex abuse charges. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Many organization leaders, including Susana and Alondra, were accused of being the perpetrators. Naason Joaquin Garcia, the church's leader, a man considered by congregants an apostle of Jesus Christ, had just been sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison for committing acts of sexual abuse . Its not me thats doing this, this is what God wants you to do, Thiagarajah told Brian Ross. Many news outlets in Mexico featured Garcias guilty plea on their homepages Friday evening, including the online website Animal Politico and newspaper El Universal. While he initially did not enter a plea, he was held at a shocking $50 million bail, generating massive outrage among his followers against the legal authorities. The lawsuit includes detailed accounts from the five plaintiffs alleging that they were pressured by Joaqun Garca and his associates into performing for pornographic photo shoots, and were forced to engage in sex acts with him. She joined the newsroom in 2018 and spent several years working on the criminal justice team. She pointed to how the church has consistently held that Garcia was innocent and has spent the last few years trying to build a positive image of the institution, claiming its membership has stayed strong. Both father and son have been accused of using the churchs young members as sexual servants, of leading lavish lifestyles on the backs of their followers and of intimidating church members into silence and submission. Bail was set at a stunning $25 million for Naason Joaquin . / CBS/AP. [emailprotected]. Naasn Joaqun Garca leads a service at his church "La Luz del Mundo" in Guadalajara, Mexico on Aug. 9, 2018. "It has been a very difficult issue, of course, for him and for us," she added. SACRAMENTO - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced the arrest and filing of charges against Naasn Joaqun Garca (Joaqun Garca) and his co-defendants for alleged human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, and other felonies. CBS Los Angeles reportedthe California Department of Justice arrested Joaqun Garcia and two other members of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, in 2019. She was provided by Mrs Ocampo, provided whipped cream, strawberries, lingerie, and the other girl would spray the whipped cream and strawberries on each other and then lick them off, said Special Agent Troy Holmes in court. They have power, they have the money, she added. While he maintained his innocence for three years, Garca has . Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. Naason Joaquin Garcia, the leader of the La Luz del Mundo, Spanish for The Light of the World, appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court, on June 5, 2019. Times staff writers Jany and Ormseth reported from Los Angeles, Miller from Mexico City. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally facing 36 charges, Garcia at the last minute took a plea deal that called for him to admit to three counts, the state attorney generals office announced Friday: two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15 years old. Ocampo requested that Jane Doe number one send her nude photos of herself because the servant of god who is defendant Garcia, would be really happy, said special agent Thomas Donohue in court. Church member Alondra Ocampo was expected to testify against him. https://t.co/nTcxEFtidU. Earlier in 2020, a former La Luz Del Mundo church member, Sochil Martin, sued the church and its leaders. Spanning the main street is a sculpture spelling "innocent" in Spanish. "He used me over and over again like a sacrificial lamb taken to slaughter.". They described him as "evil," a "monster," "disgusting human waste" and the "Antichrist. Parents give biblical names to their children and take them to the temple at 40 days old to promise they will guide them to follow their path. Naason Joaquin Garcia, the leader of the La Luz del Mundo, Spanish for The Light of the World, appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court, on June 5, 2019. The bail to be able to leave is 50 million dollars, one of the highest in history. The latter was the leader of the La Luz del Mundo church (translated to Church of the Living God), a non-trinitarian Christian organization founded in 1926. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Born in Argentina but raised in Los Angeles, Miller is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia Universitys School of Journalism. Nevertheless, there are former members who say their ceremony was not optional. When the women tried to expose Garca, they found themselves isolated and shunned by the church community, including members of their own families. Joaqun Garca, 53, was arrested in 2019 in California. According to VICE, the 53-year-old was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in June 2019. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Just days before his long-awaited trial was set to start, La Luz del Mundo leader Naason Joaquin Garcia pleaded guilty Friday to sexually abusing girls from his congregation, a stunning . De la Torre said she believes the church will continue to present Garcia as a victim of a conspiracy and that many of its members will keep backing him. This is not an organized religion, this is an organized institution of criminal activities thats been running for 96 years. ode to the vampire mother results; national asset mortgage lawsuit; green tuna paper; mary davis sos band net worth On June 8, 2022, Naasn was convicted for the three charges and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months behind bars. [2], He continues to be named as Legal Representative of the church in Mexico in spite of having been convicted of child sex crimes. The church says it has congregations in all 50 American states. This is actually despite the fact he was born as the fifth of seven children to Samuel Joaqun Flores (his predecessor) and Eva Garca Lpez in May 1969 in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. For some young people, these steps include memorizing songs honoring the apostle, reading the Bible before bed and not marrying someone from outside the church. Garcia is said to have coerced girls in his congregation to engage in various sex acts over the years. He is currently charged on more than 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors and extortion. The investigation began in 2018, in part, because of information submitted to the California Department of Justice through the clergy abuse online complaint form. Crimes like those alleged in this complaint have no place in our society. Only the rare defendant like Naasn Joaqun Garcia should be locked up before trial, and most should be released without money bail. Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov, State of California Department of Justice, Consumer Protection and Economic Opportunity, California Justice Information Services (CJIS), helped bring downthe worlds largest online brothel, push for the passage of the federal Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, Attorney General Becerra Announces Arrest of Naasn Joaqu. Their spiritual leader is behind bars in California after pleading guilty to sexually abusing minors. 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